boo

See also: böö

English

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -uː

Etymology

Coined to create a loud and startling sound. Compare Latin boō (“to cry aloud, roar, shout”).

Interjection

boo

1. A loud exclamation intended to scare someone, especially a child. Usually used when one has been hidden from the victim and then suddenly appeared unexpectedly.
2. A word used ironically in a situation where one might have scared someone, but said someone was not scared. Not said as loudly as in definition 1.
3. An exclamation used by a member or many members of an audience, as at a stage play or sports game, to indicate derision or disapproval of what has just occurred.

Translations

loud exclamation intended to scare someone

• Catalan: bu, ua
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 嘣 (zh) (bèng), 哇 (zh) (wà), 喲 (zh), 哟 (zh) (yò), 嘿 (zh) (hèi)

• Czech: baf (cs)
• Finnish: pöö (fi), huu
• French: bouh (fr)
• German: buh (de)
• Greek: μπου (bou)

• Icelandic: bú (is), bö
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: bu (pl)
• Portuguese: bu
• Romanian: bau (ro)
• Russian: бу (ru) (boo)
• Spanish: bu
• Swedish: bu (sv)

word used ironically in a situation where one might have scared someone, but said someone was not scared

• Finnish: pöö (fi), huu
• German: buh (de)
• Icelandic: bú (is), bö

• Portuguese: bu
• Romanian: bau (ro)
• Swedish: bu (sv)

exclamation used by a member of an audience

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 噓 (zh) (xū)

• Esperanto: hu
• Finnish: buu
• French: bouh (fr)
• German: buh (de)

• Icelandic: ú (is)
• Portuguese: bu
• Romanian: huo (ro)
• Swedish: bu (sv)
• Turkish: yuh (tr)

Noun

boo (plural boos)

1. A derisive shout made to indicate disapproval.
   • 2010 December 29, Sam Sheringham, “Liverpool 0 - 1 Wolverhampton”, BBC:

     ...Hodgson headed down the tunnel with the boos of fans ringing in his ears after an eighth league defeat of the season...

2. (US, slang) A close acquaintance or significant other, derived from French beau.

Translations

derisive shout

• Catalan: esbroncada (ca) f
• Finnish: buuaus
• German: Buhruf (de) m

• Portuguese: vaia (pt) f
• Spanish: abucheo (es)

Verb

boo (third-person singular simple present boos, present participle booing, simple past and past participle booed)

1. (intransitive) To shout extended boos derisively.

   When he took the podium, the crowd booed.

   • 2004, The New Yorker, 18 Oct 2004

     Nobody booed and nobody clapped

2. (transitive) To derisively shout extended boos at.

   The protesters loudly booed the visiting senator.

Translations

to shout boos derisively (intransitive)

• Catalan: esbroncar (ca)
• Esperanto: hui
• Finnish: buuata
• French: huer (fr)
• German: buhen

• Greek: μπου (bou)
• Icelandic: púa
• Portuguese: vaiar (pt)
• Spanish: abuchear (es)
• Swedish: bua

to shout boos at (transitive)

• Finnish: buuata
• German: ausbuhen
• Icelandic: púa út

• Russian: освистывать (ru) (osvistyvatʹ)
• Swedish: bua ut

Anagrams

• o/b/o
• OOB

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Latin

Etymology

By application of regular verb-generative patterns to Latin bos, bovis (“cow”), yielding the sense of "bellow in the manner of a cow".

Alternative forms

• bovō

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈbo.oː/

Verb

present active boō, present infinitive boāre, perfect active boāvī, supine boātum

1. (intransitive) I cry aloud, bellow, roar; bray.

   sed in prima remansi voce et identidem boavi

   but I stayed stuck on the first syllable and brayed it repeatedly

   • c. 125 CE – 180 CE, Apuleius, Metamorphoses 7.3

     Et verbum quidem praecedens semel ac saepius inmodice clamitavi, sequens vero nullo pacto disserere potui, sed in prima remansi voce et identidem boavi "Non non", quanquam minia rutunditate pendulas vibrassem labias.

2. (transitive) I call loudly upon; bellow, cry or roar forth.

Inflection

Conjugation of boo (first conjugation)

indicative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	boō	boās	boat	boāmus	boātis	boant
	imperfect	boābam	boābās	boābat	boābāmus	boābātis	boābant
	future	boābō	boābis	boābit	boābimus	boābitis	boābunt
	perfect	boāvī	boāvistī	boāvit	boāvimus	boāvistis	boāvērunt
	pluperfect	boāveram	boāverās	boāverat	boāverāmus	boāverātis	boāverant
	future perfect	boāverō	boāveris	boāverit	boāverimus	boāveritis	boāverint
passive	present	boor	boāris	boātur	boāmur	boāminī	boantur
	imperfect	boābar	boābāris	boābātur	boābāmur	boābāminī	boābantur
	future	boābor	boāberis	boābitur	boābimur	boābiminī	boābuntur
	perfect	boātus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	boātus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	boātus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	boem	boēs	boet	boēmus	boētis	boent
	imperfect	boārem	boārēs	boāret	boārēmus	boārētis	boārent
	perfect	boāverim	boāverīs	boāverit	boāverīmus	boāverītis	boāverint
	pluperfect	boāvissem	boāvissēs	boāvisset	boāvissēmus	boāvissētis	boāvissent
passive	present	boer	boēris	boētur	boēmur	boēminī	boentur
	imperfect	boārer	boārēris	boārētur	boārēmur	boārēminī	boārentur
	perfect	boātus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	boātus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	—	boā	—	—	boāte	—
	future	—	boātō	boātō	—	boātōte	boantō
passive	present	—	boāre	—	—	boāminī	—
	future	—	boātor	boātor	—	—	boantor
non-finite forms		active			passive
		present	perfect	future	present	perfect	future
infinitives		boāre	boāvisse	boātūrus esse	boārī	boātus esse	boātum īrī
participles		boāns	—	boātūrus	—	boātus	boandus

Synonyms

• (bellow, roar): īnfremō, mūgiō, rudō

Derived terms

• boātiō
• boātus
• reboō

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Scots

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /buː/

Verb

tae boo (third-person singular simple present booes, present participle booin, simple past boo'd, past participle boo'd)

1. To bow, to stoop.
2. To bend, to curve.
3. To make something bend or curve.

Noun

boo (plural boos)

1. (greeting): A bow.